Much of today's modern Ethernet infrastructure is based on twisted pair copper cables that meet certain specifications. One common “category” of Ethernet cable is identified as CAT5e, which is rated for data rates up to 1 Gbps. Recently, however, proposals have been made to use the existing Ethernet infrastructure in the enterprise environment for data rates above 1 Gbps and up to 5 Gbps and beyond. Using cabling such as CAT5e at higher rates poses challenges, especially when affected by alien crosstalk.
Most homes are constructed to include common phone line that interconnects various rooms in the house with a central hub. The common phone line generally includes at least two pairs of wires for routing telephone signals. Home phone wiring presents a very noisy environment for high-speed signaling.
However, in some situations, it would be desirable to interface a home Ethernet network with existing home telephone wiring.